


Population Control

by CassTrash



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Blood and Gore, Character Death, F/M, Gun Violence, Swearing, Vomiting, Weapons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-23 10:44:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19149427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassTrash/pseuds/CassTrash
Summary: After a fatal virus had made its introduction to the world, you create shelter at a campsite in the middle of the woods. Years pass by and you've successfully managed to survive the virus. You were becoming a somewhat loved camper by everybody, especially Castiel.





	Population Control

Death surrounded the earth in a thick and heavy layer of black and white, the once so vibrant environment dulling with every day the virus remained afoot. The sun hadn’t made an appearance from behind the clouds in weeks, which only left crops at a disadvantage just like the humans who no longer lived normal lives. Three days was all it took for the military to swoop up anybody they could, of course only if they appeared healthy enough which meant a lot of families had been separated. Soldiers ripped children’s arms from their parents and threw them in the back of a truck filled with other sobbing kids, some of them now orphans. This didn’t help the military’s defence in the conspiracy of them creating this virus as a means of population control. It was only an estimate but possibly four billion people had already died within the first month, at least that’s what the news stations said. Technology and electricity soon failed with no operators and the world turned blind without their news source; people refused to leave their house in fear of catching the virus, leaving them to starve in their home. 

The virus which caused this supposedly manifested in a science lab in a military station, which was used for testing on human cloning. An outbreak occurred and killed the science team and the ones which survived only helped spread it to the outside world. There was no surreal evidence on whether someone contained the virus, though it had been noticeable people’s tempers often become unstable within the their remaining forty-eight hours. 

You had a few run-ins with the unstable before; a man climbed atop your vehicle and attempted to smash the windshield as you refused to allow him a ride. With the news of the virus potentially being within your town, you fled in your Jeep with necessities and headed up north. When you had reached North Dakota you discovered three men - Sam and Dean Winchester and their best friend Castiel - the four of you then helped create a camp in the middle of the woods where you helped survivors recuperate and live without fear of catching a virus. 

Things had been good for five years, though the camp ran into issues things always seemed to work out, until Dean had caught the virus. In his last few hours he had become a completely different person; anger and rage had filled his veins unlike you’d ever seen. Castiel and Viktor had to restrain him, and when that didn’t work Sam was the one who shot him in the head. Sam soon fell into a depression though he hid it well, it was obvious to you. Castiel mentioned they’ve never really been separated for long, and with no way to bring him back this was something Sam was going to struggle to cope with. Sam spent a lot of time outside the perimeter walls - hunting for food he claimed - though it wasn’t common for him to return back with anything for the campers to eat. 

Castiel had been suffering with his own depression for years and similar to Sam, he didn’t like to burden others with his issues, so he kept himself busy with surveillancing the perimeters in case of an attack. The two of you had gotten extraordinarily close within the past two years, Dean’s death took a toll on him just as much as Sam and you helped him with his grief. The brothers had mentioned the whole Castiel-being-a-celestial-being thing to you, but you didn’t like to intrude; he shared few stories with you. Still, he liked to be alone and protect the others up on the walls. Your eyes darted to the south-east corner where Castiel sat perched on his handmade stool, slightly hunched over with his machine gun beside him which had to have been running low on ammunition by now.  _ Use the bows and spears, hell your fists are still better than wasting ammo on deer,  _ you recalled shouting. Those newbies were restricted to their post inside the walls for seven days as a repercussion. Ammunition was only supposed to be used against humans such as the trespassers you’ve been having issues with for a days now, but now you were forced to stay out past curfew in an attempt to recover ammo. The kids were only trying to impress Sam but they put everybody at risk because of their recklessness. 

The camp was located in the middle of the woods, somewhere nobody dared trek in fear of bears. You had been a hunter before all this began, not monster-in-the-dark hunter like the brothers but an ordinary hunter. Thankfully you’ve had your run-in with bears before and knew how to take care of them. A river with clean water was located a kilometre away, which brought the attention of deers, rabbits, and a poor survivor here and there. Twenty-six people lived inside the walls, the population increasing at the hands of Sam who doesn’t have the heart to turn people away. You feared it was going to get the whole camp killed one day. 

Sam appointed you with the job of providing rations. You wished you were just another scouter like Castiel or Viktor, which seemed easier than having to be responsible if somebody did not receive their daily food and necessities. Mental battles were fought in your head each day because of the stress. Was equality more important than equity? Should a mother and her child be forced to share food while Old Ossie is supplied with a slab of steak on a golden plate? In the end, you decided whoever benefited the camp should receive more. Old Ossie accused you of favouritism because of this. Ossie - the troll as kids referred - is the camp’s grump. Rough white hair lined his head and chin in a thin layer, and his stained white tank did him no justice. Arthritis claimed his joints at a young age and even more so in his later years; he provided nothing to the camp, though it wasn’t his fault.

‘You’ve returned!’ Leah screamed, alerting the campers of your presence. Her small arms extended and wrapped around your legs, dirt transferring to her body to yours. ‘Did you meet anybody new out there?’

‘No.’ She noticed your concern but didn’t comment. The weight of the supplies dragged you down, knees buckling underneath you causing you to crash into the mud. Bundles of apples rolled followed you into the mud, which Leah quickly picked up and wiped on her dress. 

Her small arms and hands couldn’t carry them all but she continued to pick them up, determined to assist. ‘I can’t carry all!’ she exclaimed, lips pursing and eyebrows furrowing.

‘It’s alright,’ you lifted yourself from the ground and threw the remaining apples into your bag, ‘you can keep those ones. Share them with those friends you made!’ One high-pitched squeal later, Leah sprinted home with the apples in her arms; one or two dropping on her journey back home. 

‘She’s spoilt.’ The voice was low and almost unrecognisable if it wasn’t for the venomous hate noticeable in it. 

‘Ossie.’ you hissed. Ossie sat on his porch of his house - if you could call it that - and glared at you with his pale grey eyes. Bony fingers clenched around a can filled with water sat in his lap, his joints seemingly cooperating with him today. The humid weather must’ve been a nice change of pace for him. A huff of ignorance fled his nose as he turned his head away from you, exposing the military tattoo on his neck. ‘Good talking to you.’

‘Y/n,’ Castiel appeared beside you, his hands immediately reaching for the boxes stuck within the mud, ‘I didn’t see you return.’ Those sapphire eyes watched over you as you returned to your feet, and the scrape on your arm didn’t go unnoticed by him. It was almost impossible to hide things from an angel, especially one who was so persistent on making sure you were okay all the time. 

‘I’m fine,’ you assured.

His eyes raised to yours and he nodded in hesitant contempt. ‘Are these to go to Luna?’ You nodded. Luna, the codeword for your house. It didn’t need a codeword but Sam was so persistent on it you finally complied. The campers just called your humble abode the Shitty Yellow One. What could you do with a few pieces of wood? You never took a class in carpentry. 

‘Just set it on the table,’ you motioned, ‘I need to go find some cloth to wrap it up.’

Castiel took a moment to have a look around, having never step foot inside your house before. ‘It’s a lot smaller than Dean said.’ 

‘Yeah, but it’s like a maze. There’s so much crap in here.’ Supplies and rations had taken over your house. Throwing the cuttings of cloth onto the table, you prepared everything and began rationing the fruits. ‘Thanks, Castiel. You can head back to your post if you’d like.’

You wrote different numbers on each cloth to remember which families the supplies go to, and proceeded to place the different fruit in each; there wasn’t much of a selection out in the woods but at least you had found an apple tree and blueberry bush. The other supplies would need to go in the boxes, but you didn’t have enough for everybody. Cas lowered himself into the opposite chair to you and began helping with the rations, following your steps and setting them off to the side. A smile pulled at your lips, ‘Don’t blame me if Sam takes your gun away from you.’

‘He’d have to replace me, in that case. That’s something he wouldn’t have the energy for.’

‘Well, alright then.’

Dividing fruits and supplies was a tedious job that had to be done, you just wished people didn’t take you for granted so often. With the help of Castiel, it took you an hour less but you still weren’t done. ‘Okay, I think you’re done for the night. Go on home and get some sleep. I’ve gotta go hand these out before dawn.’

‘I’d rather be with you, if that’s okay.’

His behaviour changed at the mention of returning home. You knew he shared the house with Sam, maybe there were some issues with the two of them. ‘Sure, Cas, you can come.’

‘Thank you, Y/n.’

‘Just do me a quick favour before we head out. There should be a purple box upstairs filled with clean blankets. Can you grab the box and bring them down?’ Castiel nodded and disappeared upstairs, where he would then proceed to get lost. It was only normal for people to get lost up there. It was a complete mess.

A husky voice was heard outside, proceeded by Sam’s. Hearing Sam’s voice surprised you in the least, you could barely remember the last time you heard him say anything to anybody. ‘NO, SAM.’ Danny screamed, rage fuelled in his voice. Of course it was Danny. Who else could it be? No-one was dumb enough to stand up against Sam.

Deciding to ignore the bickering, you called for Castiel, ‘You good up there?’

‘I, um, am having difficulties finding this box.’

You shared a chuckle to yourself. He’ll be up there for a while. Better him than you.

‘FOR FUCK’S SAKE, SAM.’

The metal of the box scraped against the wooden table as you placed it down. ‘What’s happening?’ you asked Sam, peering outside, but he didn’t need to reply. The unfamiliar motionless body laying between him and Danny spoke enough. It wasn’t one of you; the trespasser perhaps. The blankets could wait for now, you decided. Inspecting the body, you noticed the large stab wound in her back which was spurting out glossy silver liquid. She had to have been no older than fifteen, but she looked almost in her late thirties with the wrinkles on her face. She was definitely infected. ‘Who stabbed her?’ you asked, noticing the knife laying on the dirt.

‘Danny!’ Sam snapped. ‘He’s pushed it too far, Y/n. He needs to leave!’

‘Sam, calm down-’

‘Don’t defend him!’ The usually welcoming hazel eyes now filled with disgust and hatred, whether it was towards Danny, you, or both you still weren’t sure. ‘I’ve given him chances time and time again, and he continuous breaking the rules! He just killed a kid!’

Danny’s fingers inches to his thigh, his pistol holder mere centimetres away from him. ‘Hey, wait! This can be talked about after we get this body out of here. If this stays in here any longer, we’re all gonna be dead.’ you motioned to the silver liquid. The effects of it were becoming stronger each minute wasted because of their childish dispute. It’s almost as though they’ve forgotten what the virus did to them. 

Sam was at a disadvantage against Danny with no weapons on him currently. Danny must’ve just returned from a supply run and still had his pistol strapped to him, which was almost gripped in his hand at this point. ‘This is all your fault, Samuel! I told you, I fucking told you we need to be careful who we let in! You do remember there’s a deadly virus out there, right? That’s why we’re all fucking stuck in the woods and not home with our families! Did you forget that!?’

‘Fuck me,’ you hissed. This was getting nowhere. Unzipping your jacket, you firmly tied it around your face. It probably wouldn’t provide much protection against the virus at such a close proximity, but somebody had to get the body out here before more people breathed that stench. It was bitter and slightly sweet, but the effects of it definitely wasn’t. Danny’s mossy eyes watched you drag the body past him and Sam. You couldn’t drag it far but it’d be enough overnight. Viktor would help bury it later on, you just hoped the liquid doesn’t worsen. Her arms cracked and popped with each rough movement as you dragged her tiny, but surprisingly heavy, body out of the camp. A trail led off to the right where nobody entered, ghosts supposedly, and you decided that’d be far enough for her to rest for the time being. 

Silver liquid continued seeping out the wound and now her ears. The stench was getting stronger you could feel it burn your throat and lungs. Tears pricked your eyes, giving you a sensation like that of cutting an onion. God, it’s been years since you’ve had onions. The corpse let out a final crack as you dumped it to the ground, a pool of glossy silver accumulating underneath it. She seemed different from all the other infected you’ve run into in the past but you couldn’t put your finger on it. The virus usually made them lash out but you didn’t even know she was within the camps walls until Danny’s yelling. Was the virus evolving?

‘Y/n?’ Castiel’s voice rang on the other side of the walls.

‘What?’ The jacket muffled your voice. 

‘There’s...an issue.’

The wooden gates to the camp stared down at you hauntingly. You didn’t have a clue what was waiting for you in there. Another dead body? Castiel had his back to you, his arms crossed against his chest. The camouflage shirt he wore was beginning to become a little tight against his biceps, but he daren’t to part with it. A gift from you. ‘What’s wrong now?’ you said, joining his side. A crowd had formed where Danny and Sam where, but you couldn’t see past them.

‘They’ve been informed of Sam’s...mistake. They’re unsure whether they can trust their lives with him as leader anymore.’ Castiel explained.

Great. There were going to be two deaths tonight. Just, you weren’t sure whether it was Sam or Danny who’d claim victory. As much as you love and appreciate Sam as a friend, he wasn’t suited to be leader anymore. Dean’s death was still having its effect on him and he was only becoming increasingly unstable. Danny, on the other hand, isn’t a leader either. Strict rules and bans would be set in place on his order and it’d do more bad than good. ‘Sam needs to step down,’ you said, ‘we need a new leader.’

‘But Danny-’

‘He’s no leader.’ You faced Castiel, observing his stance and expression. He was quiet and kept to himself a lot, but he did resemble a leader of sorts. ‘Well, what about you?’ His mouth fell open at that, and his head shook at a mile an hour. ‘Dean mentioned you ruling Heaven or something, ya know, back then.’

Castiel’s hands gripped his shirt tightly. ‘No. That was my brother just using me. His ways...they aren’t good.’

‘Well you can do it in your own ways.’

‘I don’t think I’d know where to even begin with a job like that.’ 

A soft smile pulled against your lips. ‘I’m sure you’d figure it out. You’re a smart man, Castiel. I guess it comes with being a celestial. You’re on a whole different level than us. It’s just directing people in the right direction, really. Isn’t that what angels do? Like, um, guardian angels or something like that?’

‘Something like that,’ Castiel said, a toothy grin spreading across his face.

‘That’s it!’ Danny yelled within the crowd. The crowd quickly dispersed in panic, their hands over their head as they ran to cover. Danny and Sam was finally in sight, and you could see a pistol pointing directly at Sam. ‘I won’t let your actions get me infected!’

Castiel stepped forward. It was hesitant, but he worked up the courage to move closer. Mud stuck to his combat boots as he moved slowly, the slush of the ground notifying Danny of his sneaking. ‘Enough is enough! Put the gun down, Danny!’ he ordered. ‘If you cooperate we can figure this out civilly.’

Following behind the angel, you watched as Danny backed away from Sam and Castiel. He was at more of an advantage in this position now. The four of you stood in a triangle. Castiel and yourself opposite of Sam and Danny off to the side with his gun switching from either side continuously. ‘Get the fuck back! I’ll shoot all of you!’ Danny exclaimed, firing off a shot that barely missed Sam.

Screams and hushed voices of shock could be heard from behind wooden structures. ‘We need to get this in control.’ you whispered. ‘The campers are frightened.’ Castiel nodded in agreement, though there was no opening for either of you to accomplish anything.

Danny’s eyes were frantic, searching for a possible way out or a solution to the issue he placed himself in. The gun shook in his hands, his fingers tightening around the trigger to control his nerves.  _ Bang!  _ The pistol fired another shot directly at Sam, hitting him. Castiel’s firm hand gripped your wrist and pulled you behind him, shielding you from Danny’s pistol which had turned to the two of you. ‘I-I didn’t want to shoot him! He forced my hand!’

‘Sam!’ you pleaded, ‘Get up!’ You’re frozen in place with your heart pounding in your chest, vision blurring with tears though you couldn’t see much with Castiel in front. One arm was all it took for you to keep your position. Castiel was determined to keep you shielded and you weren’t going to neglect his wishes in a time like this. 

‘Look at what you’ve done!’ Castiel exclaimed, gesturing to the motionless body of Sam, ‘You just shot your leader! Do you understand the punishment you’ll receive for such a vile action?’

‘No...no, I just saved all of you! Sam would’ve been the downfall of this camp. I’m the hero. I deserve to be the leader!’ Danny rambled. This behaviour reminded you of the infected in their last few hours. They’d always become unstable just like this, Dean was similar though more violent. Perhaps Danny caught the virus when he was out on the supply run, but physically he looked healthy like normal.

‘You’re no leader, Danny. You’ve just murdered someone of high priority to these people. Now they’re at risk of outsiders and each other. Rule number one of being a leader is to keep situations under control. Murdering somebody in front of everybody isn’t under control!’ Castiel growled. Fingers dug into Castiel’s shirt as some form of security, almost tearing it with the grip you had. The infected worried you, but nobody had scared you like Danny is. Dean was close but Danny was completely different. You’ve had guns, knives, bows, spears, all sorts of crap pointed at you, but an unstable man with nothing to lose and everything to gain was at the top of the ladder. 

Castiel’s shoulders tightened underneath the presence of your fingers.  _ Human emotions tend to combine and form as one,  _ he once said. Castiel could feel your fear, it was overwhelmingly strong. Fear was an emotion he hadn’t often felt radiating off you, which only made him more concerned.

‘If you dare get between me and my rightful position as leader then you leave me no choice but to kill you, too!’ Danny’s hands straightened out and for a moment he seemed to have gained control of his nerves to pull the trigger. Castiel was a tad faster than Danny and had managed to turn his back to him, hunching over to protect his head from being shot. Arms trapped you against his chest, sacrificing himself as a human - or angel -  shield for you. 

‘Castiel!’ you screeched.  _ Bang!  _ Your skeleton practically jumped out of your body. ‘Castiel, you-you’re grace. It protects you, right?’ The pained groan escaping his throat said otherwise.  _ Bullets and knives and all that stuff doesn’t work on old Cas here,  _ you remembered Dean saying. It was when you had met for the first time; Castiel was only protecting Sam and Dean from your gun pointed at them when he almost dislocated your shoulder. He still profusely apologises to this day. 

‘W-what the hell are you?’ Danny stuttered. ‘How are you still standing!?’

Castiel looked to be in a lot of pain; his eyes squeezed shut and his teeth biting down on his lower lip. Staggered exhales tickled your forehead unpleasantly but you were relieved he was still breathing at least. The warmth of his chest was pressing against you and you prayed it wasn’t blood. ‘Castiel, please, look at me. You’re an angel, right? You’ll be fine.’ you sobbed as you pled. He was in this mess because of you. If you hadn’t talked him into standing up against Danny, he’d have joined the campers and hid behind something. If you weren’t here, he wouldn’t use himself to protect you. ‘Cas!’

Sapphire eyes peered at you through eyelashes heavy with tears of pain. With a hoarse voice, Castiel asked, ‘Did you get hurt? I’m-’  _ Bang!  _ Castiel’s eyes widened and his arms loosened from around your body as his knees buckled beneath him, the mud sloshing underneath his sudden weight. 

‘Cas!’ Kneeling beside the fallen angel, you watched as he aimed at holding himself up from the ground. His hands and knees dug into the mud, a thick layer coating the underside of his body. The bullet wounds in his back looked horrific with blood pouring out of them similar to the silver from the corpse.  _ Bang!  _ The gunfire caused you to cringe and squeeze your eyes shut, afraid of seeing Cas get shot once more, only you heard a distant cry of pain. It was Danny who was now on the ground, a hand clamped over his chest as he stared up at the sky. 

‘Son of a-’ you heard him groan before everything fell silent. 

Viktor stood on top of the perimeter walls with a rifle beside him, signalling Danny was down and he was the one responsible. He rushed down the stairs of the wall, leaving his rifle at his post, and proceeded to assist you with Castiel. Viktor was always one to come to the rescue, especially when it came to you. It was something small he had in common with Castiel; you assumed that was why they were both so fond of each other. ‘This doesn’t look good,’ Viktor commented, ‘we need Abbigail.’ 

‘Cas-Castiel?’ Leah appeared from behind metal fencing, her hands timidly grasping her dress as she stood over Castiel. ‘Is...is he going to die?’

‘No! No, no, he’s going to be fine.’ you assured, though you weren’t sure. 

Leah’s eyes darted over to Sam and Danny, her brown eyes widening in horror. A hand flew to her mouth as she let out a stunned gasp and whispered, ‘Sam? Danny?’

‘Don’t look at them, Leah.’ 

A lantern in the distance caught your attention and you watched as it trekked to you in the thick mud. ‘Leah, go home now!’ A flat voice ordered. It had to have been Abbigail.

‘But Mum-’

‘Leave now!’ Abbigail kneeled beside you and immediately got to work on Castiel’s wounds, which was uncontrollably bleeding. ‘I won’t be able to stitch them up here. He’s going to be in a lot of pain.’

Castiel raised to his feet with the assistance of Viktor by his side, carrying most of his weight so he didn’t feel more pain than necessary. ‘Fuck, take him to my house.’ Helping Abby with her medical supplies, you followed the two men into your house and placed everything on the floor beside the couch Viktor set Castiel on. ‘Thanks, Viktor. Check on Sam.’ His eyes fell, but he complied. 

Abbigail continued treating Castiel, though she couldn’t do much with his shirt in the way of the wounds. She wasted no time by cutting the fabric, receiving a moan of disapproval from Castiel. ‘I liked this shirt.’ he murmured.

‘If you like it so much, I’ll let you die in it.’ Abbigail retorted.

Castiel shut up. The sapphire in his eyes seemed to have dulled to a blue-grey and his skin was becoming pale at an alarming rate. He made eye contact with you briefly before they fell shut. It was better if he was knocked out anyways.

Abbigail used her knife to on his wounds to make them larger to gain access to the bullets, which she then proceeded to fish out with a pair of tweezers. Blood was pouring out of his back and running down to his sides where it stained the couch cushions, which would never be used again; liquid raised in your throat at the sheer sight of it. With a gulp, you swallowed the liquid and your fear back down and helped Abby by applying pressure to the wound as she worked on the opposite one. The continuous rise and fall of his back as he breathed was the only thing keeping you sane for the time being, though your concern for Sam couldn’t help but creep into the back of your mind. Focus on one thing at a time, you reminded yourself. You had faith in Abbigail, she had more successes than failures and she was known to work well under pressure; she had to have been under pressure at this point. 

‘Alright. That’s one done, let me see this one.’

Removing your hands, you winced at the sight of the flesh pulling apart and the blood claiming your hands. This one seemed worse and possibly deeper than the last. Castiel was lucky these didn’t paralyse him. ‘Do you have this under control? I have to check on Sam.’ you asked.

‘I’ve got it,’ a sympathetic smile spread across her face for a moment, ‘go see him.’

Returning outside, you noticed a few campers returned to the crime scene. Three men stood over Danny with their arms crossed, while Viktor and two others stood over Sam. ‘Viktor?’ 

‘Y/n,’ Viktor sighed, ‘he didn’t make it.’

Sam’s body laid in the mud, his eyes closed and his hand resting on his heart just above where he was shot. He looked more at peace when he was dead than he had in the past two years. Tears pricked your eyes. ‘I think he wanted this,’ you said, ‘maybe not in this way but he wasn’t himself since Dean.’

Viktor only nodded and pulled you in for a brief hug, his warmth battled Castiel’s. ‘Go on back to him now,’ Viktor pecked your forehead and offered a smile, ‘I’ll handle Sam. Danny, too.’

‘I owe you one, Viktor. Thank you for saving him.’ you placed a kiss to his cheek before retreating back inside to check on Castiel. ‘How’s he doing?’

‘Ask him yourself,’ Abby smiled.

Castiel was awake and his back was all stitched up with bandages wrapped around his chest. The colour was beginning to return to his face and eyes. He sat on the couch upright, his head thrown backwards in uncomfortable pain. ‘I’m fine.’ Castiel answered. ‘How are you?’

‘I’m fine, Cas. Thanks to you. What were you thinking!?’

‘I’m just going to head on out. I gotta put Leah to sleep.’ Abbigail left before you could get another word in.

‘I just wanted to protect you, Y/n. Danny was unstable and the potential position of power only worsened matters. I made a poor assumption using my grace. It’s not exactly at full power these days and I don’t believe I have long until it’s depleted.’ Castiel’s eyes appeared heavy. ‘Everything appears so much more dull than usual. I hadn’t noticed the rate my grace was vanishing until tonight. I may only have another day or two.’

Your heartbeat increased and pounded against your chest. ‘You’re dying?’

His head shook, not meeting eyes with you. ‘No- No. I’m just turning mortal. Soon the virus will become an issue for me as it is to all of you. I took it for granted earlier but I think it’s dawning on me.’ Sapphire eyes turned misty with tears, he only bowed his head further. ‘I don’t- I don’t know how to be a human.’

The couch complained underneath your sudden weight beside the angel. Fingers danced along his cheek as you pulled him towards you, ‘Come here,’ you whispered, ‘I don’t know a lot about all of this celestial mumbo jumbo but you seem a lot more human than anybody I know. It’s not like you go around with your magic stardust making us worship you or something, and you’re not some cold-blooded killer like a lot of the people out there.’ Castiel’s hearty chuckle resonated within you, his warmth pressing against you like it had earlier only in this situation it was a whole lot more welcoming. 

Sapphire returning to his eyes, he glanced you over before he allowed his head to lean into your hand. The stubble on his cheeks pricked against your palm but in the moment you didn’t care as you leaned forward and let the warmth of his lips press against yours. He didn’t hesitate a second, as though he had been waiting for this. One hand laid flat on your thigh while the other rested on the back of your neck, rubbing slow circles with his thumb. His movements warm and smooth, you imagined it to be what angel grace felt like; serenity, warmth, softness, everything beautiful mixed together. 

‘I want to thank you,’ he whispered, ‘and apologise for the couch. I’ll be sure to replace the cushions.’

‘Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re okay.’

Castiel’s smile mimicked yours.

‘Sam- Is he…’ You shook your head in response. He remained silent and his eyes stared at a spot on the couch. Dean and Sam had said they’ve known Castiel for years before the whole virus outbreak; it had to have been hard losing not one but both of your best friends.

You ran a hand through his hair, cringing at the mud sticking to your fingers as you moved through it. ‘You should clean up and get some rest.’ you said. ‘We’ll get everybody together tomorrow and say goodbye to Sam. You’ve got a big day ahead of you, Boss.’

Castiel only laughed.

Castiel awoke early in the morning to the sun shining on his eyes through a gap in the wooden structure. After a tough battle, Castiel politely accepted your offer to sleep on the bed while you fashioned a temporary bed on the floor beside him. Soft pink burning his cheeks, he let himself smile as he recalled the kiss you had shared the night before.

He allowed himself to glance down at you. His cheery smile fell to shock then horror as he observed silver liquid dripping out of your ajar mouth, a trail leading down the side of your face and to the floor. His heart fell to his stomach, and for a moment he didn’t care about the wounds on his back as he pushed himself out of bed and knelt beside you. He remembered the young woman from last night; you carried her out by yourself and it must’ve gotten to you. ‘Y/n,’ he whispered, his voice shaking. He didn’t hesitate to check your condition with his grace and pressed his fingertips to your forehead to examine. Castiel could feel the death radiating off your soul, it was toxic and making a beeline to encase you within blackness. The baby blue of your soul had turned to gray overnight. You wouldn’t last until noon.

Castiel hadn’t really used his grace since this all began, not even when Dean was dying. He didn’t know if he even  _ could  _ cure the virus but he was going to make an attempt if it meant saving your life. There was some sort of connection between you two and he doesn’t want to lose that, whether it was selfish or not. He’s never felt such a distinction between a human before. With a shallow inhale, Castiel used the remainder of his grace to heal you. His eyes followed the grace flow to your soul and attack the virus, the black of the virus and the blue of his grace swirled together almost resembling Yin and Yang. It took a few minutes, but the grace barely claimed victory and healed you of the virus.

‘Y/n?’ he whispered, tapping you slightly. ‘Are you alright?’

A groan escaped your throat, ‘What?’ you muttered before falling asleep again.

Castiel smiled knowing you were healthy once more. His grace was gone forever and he was now at risk of being murdered or injected just as much as everybody else, but you weren’t dying and was slowly healing from his wounds. Castiel decided to keep the virus scare a secret to not concern you, and as for his grace there was no sure-fire way of you ever finding out how he truly lost his grace forever.


End file.
